Surgical Cassette

ABSTRACT

A surgical system and cassette, the cassette having an identification method that is specific to the cassette. Suitable methods include bar coding or Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”). Cassette information that may be encoded include features such as lot number and performance characteristics, such as pressure sensor calibration data, flow and pressure data and any other performance characteristics of the cassette captured during testing of the cassette at manufacture.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/281,751 titled “Surgical Cassette” which was filed Nov. 17, 2005whose inventors are Alexander N. Artsyukhovich, Mikhail Boukhny, RaphaelGordon, Gary P. Sorensen, David Thoe, Ralph E. Svetic, and MichaelYadlowsky which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety asthough fully and completely set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of surgical cassettes andmore particularly is to an identification system for surgical cassettes.

The use of cassettes with surgical instruments to help manage irrigationand aspiration flows into and out of a surgical site is well-known. See,for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,493,695, 4,627,833 (Cook), 4,395,258(Wang, et al.), 4,713,051 (Steppe, et al.), 4,798,850 (DeMeo, et al.),4,758,238, 4,790,816 (Sundblom, et al.), 5,267,956, 5,364,342 (Beuchat),6,036,458 (Cole, et al.) and 6,059,544 (Jung, et al.), the entirecontents of which being incorporated herein by reference.

The fluidic performance of the surgical instrument is substantiallyaffected by the fluidic performance of the cassette. As a result,current surgical instrumentation and cassettes are designed to work asan integral system, with the fluidic performance of the cassettedesigned to optimize the fluidic performance of the entire surgicalsystem. Recent advances made in surgical instrumentation now allow thesurgeon to manually or automatically control the operating parameters ofthe surgical instrumentation to a very fine degree. Specializedcassettes have been developed to allow the surgeon to capitalize on theadvance control afforded by modern surgical instrumentation. Theoperating parameters of the surgical instrumentation, however, must beadjusted depending upon the cassette being used. One system, disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,544 (Jung, et al.), has a cassette with a seriesof frangible tabs that can be used to allow the instrument to recognizethe type of cassette being used. While such a system works very well,and has been commercially successful, the cassette identification systemdisclosed in this reference identifies only the type of cassetteinstalled in the surgical console, and does not provide any informationas to the performance characteristics of the specific cassette. Otherophthalmic surgical instruments contain embedded memory chips or otherID methods that allow the surgical console to recognize the instrumentand adjust the console automatically to appropriate operatingparameters. None of these systems; however, is capable of recognizing aspecific cassette or instrument and adjusting the surgical console forthe unique performance characteristics of a specific cassette orinstrument.

Accordingly, a need exists for a cassette identification system thatidentifies the performance parameters for each specific cassette.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing asurgical system and cassette, the cassette having an identificationmethod that is specific to the cassette. Suitable methods include barcoding or Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”). Cassette informationthat may be encoded include features such as lot number and performancecharacteristics, such as pressure sensor calibration data, flow andpressure data and any other performance characteristics of the cassettecaptured during testing of the cassette at manufacture.

Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide asurgical cassette that can be readily identified by the surgicalinstrument in which the cassette is used.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a surgicalsystem that recognizes information that is cassette specific.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide acassette encoded with information specific to the cassette.

These and other advantages and objectives of the present invention willbecome apparent from the detailed description and claims that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surgical console that may be used withthe system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a cassettesuitable for use with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a cassettesuitable for use with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As best seen in FIG. 1, surgical console 100 generally contains cassettereceiving portion 110 that may contain reader 120. Console 100 may beany suitable surgical console, such as the INFINTI® Surgical Systemcommercially available from Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, Tex. As bestseen in FIG. 2, cassette 10 that may be used with the present inventiongenerally contains bar code 20 placed in a location corresponding tooptical reader 120 when cassette 10 is placed within cassette receivingportion 110 of console 100. One skilled in the art will recognize thatreader 120 may be a bar code reader, a CCD camera, a CMOS sensor orother suitable optical reader. Bar code 20 may be printed on housing 12in any suitable location and in any suitable color designed to performoptimally with reader 120. By way of example, bar code 20 may be printedon pressure sensor 40. In this way, if pressure sensor 40 is an opticalpressure sensor, reader 120 can be used both for cassette 10identification and as part of pressure sensor 40. Cassette 10 may be anysuitable irrigation/aspiration cassette, such is as the INFINTI® FluidManagement System commercially available from Alcon Laboratories, FortWorth, Tex. Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 3, cassette 10′ may contain,within or on housing 12′, a non-optical means, such as an acoustic or ahard wired or wireless communication device, with microcomputer or RFIDchip 30 being one specific example, that is read by detector or receiver130 in console 100, appropriate microcomputer or RFID chips anddetectors/receivers being well-known in the art.

During manufacture of cassettes 10 and 10′, information specific to eachindividual cassette can be recorded into bar code 20 or chip 30. Suchinformation can include lot number, manufacture date, component parttracking information and similar information about cassettes 10 and 10′.In addition, cassettes 10 and 10′ may be tested during manufacture andthe specific operating performance of individual cassettes 10 and 10′can be recorded and included in the information provided in bar code 20or chip 30. Such information can include calibration data for aspirationpressure sensors 40 and 40′, irrigation pressure sensors 50 and 50′, theperformance characteristics of peristaltic pump tubes 60 and 60′, suchcharacteristics possibly including vacuum rise time, maximum vacuum andflow resistance and being unique to each individual cassette 10 or 10′.Such information can be transferred to surgical console 100 through barcode 20 or chip 30 so that the software contained within console 100 canmake automatically, appropriate adjustments in the operating parametersof console 100 to help assure optimum performance of surgical console100 and cassettes 10 and 10′.

This description is given for purposes of illustration and explanation.It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that changesand modifications may be made to the invention described above withoutdeparting from its scope or spirit.

1. A surgical cassette sized and shaped to be received in a cassettereceiving portion of a surgical console, the cassette comprising: ahousing; a pressure sensor coupled to the housing; and an identificationdevice, located on the cassette, comprising unique performancecharacteristics specific to the cassette and determined for the cassetteby testing at least one component of the cassette at manufacture.
 2. Thecassette of claim 1 wherein the identification device comprises a barcode.
 3. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the identification devicecomprises an RFID chip or a microcomputer chip.
 4. The cassette of claim1 wherein the identification device comprises an optical means locatedon the pressure sensor.
 5. A surgical cassette sized and shaped to bereceived in a cassette receiving portion of a surgical console, thecassette comprising: a housing; a pressure sensor coupled to thehousing; an identification means, located on the cassette; and pressuresensor calibration data, stored in the identification means, thatincludes unique information specific to operation of the pressure sensorand determined for the pressure sensor by testing the pressure sensor onthe cassette at manufacture; wherein the surgical console has an opticalreader or detector configured to read pressure sensor calibration datawithin the identification means when the cassette is in the cassettereceiving portion of the surgical console.
 6. The cassette of claim 5wherein the identification means comprises: a bar code, a RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputer chip.
 7. Thecassette of claim 5 wherein the identification means is located on thepressure sensor.
 8. A surgical system, comprising: a surgical consolehaving a cassette receiving portion; a cassette sized and shaped to bereceived in the cassette receiving portion of the surgical console, thecassette comprising: a housing; a pressure sensor coupled to thehousing; an identification means, located on the cassette; and pressuresensor calibration data, stored in the identification means, thatincludes unique information specific to operation of the pressure sensorcoupled to the housing and determined for that unique pressure sensor bytesting that unique pressure sensor on the cassette at manufacture; andwherein the surgical console comprises an optical reader or detectorconfigured to read the pressure sensor calibration data when thecassette is in the cassette receiving portion of the surgical console.9. The system of claim 8 wherein the identification means comprises: abar code, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputerchip.
 10. The system of claim 8 wherein the identification means islocated on the pressure sensor in coupled to the cassette. 11-13.(canceled)
 14. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the identificationdevice additionally includes individual cassette identification.
 15. Thecassette of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is an aspirationpressure sensor or an irrigation pressure sensor.
 16. The surgicalcassette of claim 1, wherein the unique performance characteristics formultiple cassettes are determined by testing at least one component oneach cassette at manufacture.
 17. The surgical cassette of claim 5,wherein the pressure sensor calibration data for multiple cassettes aredetermined by testing the pressure sensor on each cassette atmanufacture.
 18. The system of claim 8, wherein the console isconfigured to automatically make appropriate adjustments in theoperating parameters of the console, in response to reading saidpressure sensor calibration data, to help assure optimum performance ofthe surgical console in combination with an individual cassette.
 19. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the surgical console comprises an opticalreader and wherein the optical reader is a bar code reader, a CCD(Charge-Coupled Device) camera, or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-OxideSemiconductor) sensor.
 20. The surgical system of claim 8, wherein thepressure sensor calibration data for multiple cassettes are determinedby testing the pressure sensor on each cassette at manufacture.
 21. Amethod of manufacturing surgical cassettes, comprising: providing ahousing for each cassette; coupling at least one separate pressuresensor to each of the cassette housings; determining pressure sensorcalibration data individually for at least one separate pressure sensoron each cassette by individually testing at least one separate pressuresensor on each cassette during manufacturing; and coupling anidentification means, with unique determined pressure sensor calibrationdata for the at least one specific pressure sensor, to the cassettehousing coupled to that specific pressure sensor; wherein the cassetteis configured to be received in a surgical console that includes anoptical reader or detector configured to read the pressure sensorcalibration data contained within the identification means when thecassette is received in the surgical console.
 22. The method of claim14, wherein the identification means comprises: a bar code, RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) chip, or a microcomputer chip.
 23. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising storing encoded individualcassette identification data on the identification means.